


Just the Way You Are

by DarnItTumbleweed



Category: NCIS
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Awkwardness, Coffee, Drabble, F/M, Falling In Love, First Dates, Fluff, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:13:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28924875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarnItTumbleweed/pseuds/DarnItTumbleweed
Summary: Jimmy and Breena's first date is not without its share of awkwardness.  It is Jimmy after all...but luckily for Jimmy, Breena doesn't seem to mind.
Relationships: Jimmy Palmer/Breena Slater
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Just the Way You Are

Jimmy would be an absolute liar if he tried to claim he wasn’t freaking out about tonight. He was freaking out, really really really freaking out.

Breena Slater had asked him out on a date. She had finally asked him out.

He’d spent what seemed like forever pining over the pretty embalmer who occasionally came to retrieve bodies for one of the local funeral homes…though in actuality he’d only been pining over her for about a month.

Of course, Jimmy had been hesitant to take it beyond pining hopelessly at the sidelines.

Breena Slater was gorgeous and so passionate about her job, not to mention intelligent and pretty good at her job from what he’d heard around the grapevine. She was a talented embalmer, especially for someone as young and new in the industry as her. She usually worked only behind the scenes embalming bodies, but work had been busier than usual lately and the funeral home was short staffed. So, she’d wound up drawing the short straw to pick up bodies from NCIS.

That had put her in Jimmy Palmer’s path and soon enough it had placed her in his longing gaze. 

There was one huge problem though. Hitting on Breena Slater over a corpse heading to the funeral home just seemed tacky to Jimmy. So, he hadn’t dared to even attempt it. Jimmy knew he wasn’t always the most appropriate guy on the planet given his usual bad habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time more often than he’d care to admit. Of course, he had a bad habit of making poorly timed jokes at the worst times.

He feared that this bad habit would rub a raw nerve with Breena. So, he tended to just keep his mouth shut when it came to the overwhelming desire to even attempt to flirt with her.

Jimmy was sad to say he had taken the cowards way out and bitten his tongue choosing instead to make heart eyes at Breena wishing that the situation was a little less professional so he could actually make an attempt to at least ask her to the movies.

Apparently his constant heart eyed expression had at least sent a signal to Breena who was apparently much smoother than him because she’d finally spoken up the week before her voice soft and gentle. “There’s this new coffee place opening nearby It’s supposed to be pretty nice, cozy too.”

Jimmy had eagerly nodded his head totally missing the hint. ”Oh, I love iced coffee. I know the sugar is horrible for me, but I do love them especially with the caramel drizzle and whipped cream.”

Breena had given him a small smile thankfully not minding how oblivious he truly was as she spoke again. “I was thinking of checking it out. Would you be interested?”

Jimmy could admit he’d been stunned. He was tempted to pinch himself and check if this was actually happening. 

Apparently she took his silence as rejection because she began to flip through the paperwork she’d been holding a little quicker averting her eyes as she spoke again. “If you would rather not, then that’s fine. I know this is an odd environment to ask someone on a date in. We can just forget this happened if you aren’t interested.”

Jimmy wanted to kick himself as he finally snapped out of it and spoke. “No, I mean…yes, I mean yes I’d like to have coffee with you…and dinner too…if dinner is okay? We could do coffee and dinner too… If you just want coffee though that’s okay too, no pressure.”

Her laugh had made his heart flutter as she’d spoken amused by his stumbling remark. “Dinner would be nice. Is Friday okay?”

Friday was okay.

Now it was Friday evening and Jimmy was becoming gradually more and more anxious.

He’d at least forgone both the contacts and the pomade in his hair, as well as the cologne that Gibbs had compared to a French whorehouse…not what Jimmy would have hoped it was reminiscent of but Ducky seemed to agree having called it wretched. 

Ducky had seemed to hint that Jimmy would be better off just being himself. Breena had seemed to like him as is, so that was worth something wasn’t it?

Still though Jimmy was horribly anxious. 

He knew he was shaking as he entered the coffee shop and met her eyes. Oh God, had she just been sitting here waiting for him? He should have gotten her flowers but he’d second guessed himself and had decided against it. He was terrible at buying flowers and he couldn’t decide what to buy. Roses seemed too forward but daisies seemed too juvenile. 

He took a deep breath trying to work up his confidence. It was hard to do when she was so stunning. she’d dressed quite nicely for this date, a cheery yellow top and a nice black skirt. It was a change from the more subdued grays and blacks she wore at work.

He made his way to her his stomach in knots as she stood to greet him. It only knotted further as she gave him a friendly hug he trying hard not to lean in too far to take in her perfume. It was a wonderful sweet rosy scent. He could drown in that smell, he felt his cheeks flush thanking whatever higher power that was listening that he didn’t blurt this out.

Things were going surprisingly well as the date progressed…well they were going as well as expected. Jimmy had stumbled a bit over his words but still.

Of course after a little bit talk turned to their professions though they’d chosen to keep their voices down knowing the details of both of their jobs weren’t for the comfort of the common public.

Jimmy had let himself become more comfortable as this talk started though a tiny part of him had to question if he was risking proper evidence protocol with this discussion, but he was sure he wasn’t as long as he didn’t give any names or deeper details.

He moved his hands describing it all as he spoke. “It was amazing, the wax the embalmer used for restoration was still mostly intact even after almost a decade. It was amazing to see such an amazing restoration still so intact after so many years. Dr. Mallard and I were stunned. It of course didn’t make the autopsy any easier but it was still a fascinating sight.”

Breena was interested in the conversation until she became distracted by Jimmy’s waving hand coming into contact with her cup of tea spilling it all over the table the lukewarm liquid spreading fast, some of it getting on her purse and ruining the half eaten muffin she’d been nibbling on, on the table,

Jimmy moved fast his hands frantic as he sopped up the mess with paper napkins his words rushed. “I am so so so so sorry. I am such a giant klutz. This is almost as bad as that time I dropped a dry ice frozen pumpkin in Autopsy. I can’t believe I spilled your tea all over everything.”

He spoke again frowning as the paper napkins began to turn to pulp in his hands. It seemed like the mess was just getting worse. He felt his stomach drop as he caught sight of her purse which was now partially covered in tea though Breena had moved it from the puddle forming on the table. “I ruined your purse, I am so incredibly sorry. This is so embarrassing.”

Breena was fast to speak gently taking the ruined napkins from him the calm in her voice taking him out of his sense of humiliation. “Jimmy, It’s fine. You didn’t ruin anything. It’s just a purse.”

“But it’s suede.” He exclaimed distinctly remembering a pair of suede loafers he’d once owned that had met a similar stained fate. Suede was a finicky fabric, so impossible to clean if it became wet and stained.

“And I can still clean it. It’s okay really. Even if it’s ruined, it’s still okay. It’s just a purse. There was no harm done.” Breena insisted her gentle smile so contagious that Jimmy couldn’t help but to return it.

She spoke a small frown crossing her features as they cleaned the remainder of the mess from the table. “Wait a minute…did you say you dropped a pumpkin frozen in dry ice in Autopsy?”

Jimmy smiled eagerly going into the story explaining how Dr. Mallard and he were trying to test the effects of dry ice, on a cadaver’s organs, using a pumpkin.

As Breena listened intently Jimmy couldn’t help but to feel his anxiety fade. He couldn't stop himself from speaking hoping he wasn't pushing for too much too soon. "I was actually wondering if you would be interested in stopping by NCIS later this evening? Uh....I...if you want, I mean...I know you stop by all the time for work, but I thought maybe I could introduce you to everyone."

He let out a sigh of relief as Breena spoke the sweet smile on her face soothing his nerves so easily. "Of course, I've heard so much about everyone. I'd love to meet everyone."

Ducky was right. Breena seemed to like Jimmy just the way he was.


End file.
